“They never take a bite… just stir their f**king salad non stop”: 1 Very Logical Reason Why Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki Never Ate in The Big Bang Theory’s Lunch Scenes

SUMMARY

• The unconvincing eating bits in TBBT have always ruffled fans' feathers.
• However, this isn't just limited to TBBT, as most actors don't partake in eating meals on screen.
• Kunal Nayyar once shed light on this subject and why they struggled with fake eating.

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Despite its stature in pop culture, The Big Bang Theory is not exempt from criticism, as certain aspects of the Jim Parsons-led sitcom haven’t aged gracefully, especially the prolonged eating scenes. To say the TBBT cast isn’t great at fake eating would be an understatement, and Johnny Galecki was arguably its greatest offender.

A still from The Big Bang Theory | Credit: CBS

But while it was annoying for viewers, there’s a legitimate reason why The Big Bang Theory cast and most actors avoid eating their meals on camera.

Jim Parsons and Co. Had Very Good Reason to Not Feast on Their Meals in TBBT

A still from The Big Bang Theory | Credit: CBS

Considering that the sitcom didn’t shy away from incorporating prolonged meal sequences on a regular, on close viewing, it becomes pretty apparent that the actors aren’t exactly feasting on their meals. This has often annoyed viewers of the sitcom, and one user took to Reddit to highlight this issue.

But to the actors’ defense, fake eating is a pretty standard practice when it comes to film and TV production. Several factors, ranging from caloric stress to multiple takes, encourage actors to avoid eating their meals during filming. One user brought this aspect into picture while responding to the aforementioned comment.

Elaborating on the fake eating scenes, which weren’t too convincing for the most part, Kunal Nayyar explained that it was due to the fear of choking between takes.

It’s tricky acting and eating at the same time, because you have to time your bites with the joke. Sometimes you choke. When the camera cuts away, you kind of spit your food out, but then when it comes back to you, you’re chewing.” CBS, please feed the cast soft foods only!

Fortunately, this fear among the cast eventually wore off, as in the final season of the show, the cast made eating look much more convincing.

Jim Parsons Lost Weight During TBBT’s Initial Seasons

Jim Parsons in The Big Bang Theory | Credit: CBS

Jim Parsons‘ diet saw a notable shift in the initial years of the sitcom, as he recalled being “on a very restrictive diet of low sugar and carbs” following his commitment to the gig. This eventually took a toll on him, as the pressure of playing Sheldon, which required him to spout out lengthy scientific monologues, eventually got to him. 

TBBT’s assistant director Nikki Lorre recounted:

There were certain years we were worried about Jim because he started getting really skinny and was just clearly stressed out because the role itself, not just the fame, became very, very challenging. They would write these scientific, jargon-y monologues for him, sometimes on the spot, and sometimes the pressure just got to him.

However, things eventually changed once Mayim Bialik entered the sitcom, as Parsons finally had someone to rely on when it came to delivering extensive nerdy monologues.

The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.

Written by Santanu Roy

Articles Published: 1733

Santanu Roy is a film enthusiast with a deep love for the medium of animation while also being obsessed with The Everly Brothers, Billy Joel, and The Platters. Having expertise in everything related to Batman, Santanu spends most of his time watching and learning films, with Martin Scorsese and Park Chan-wook being his personal favorites. Apart from pursuing a degree in animation, he also possesses a deep fondness for narrative-driven games and is currently a writer at Fandomwire with over 1500 articles.